A Workshop – Men and Women Flourishing in Ministry at St Mary’s
On Saturday 18th January we will hold a workshop on Men and Women Flourishing in Ministry at St Mary’s. It will run from 9.30am-12.30pm in the church building and everyone in the church family is invited to attend.
In the workshop we will look to God’s word as we think about what it means to be created male and female, the roles men and women have in church ministry, how we work together well, and how we can ensure that all of us, male and female, can serve with our gifts in the life of the church.
Why we are holding a workshop on this topic
You may wonder why we are holding a workshop on this topic at this time. The background is that the Parochial Church Council (PCC) of St Mary’s passed in 2016 what is known as The House of Bishops’ Pastoral Provision. This provision enabled the PCC to request, on the grounds of theological conviction and in light of our understanding of the Bible, that we have a male vicar and that we receive oversight from a male bishop. The provision stipulates that the PCC should revisit and review this decision from time to time. The first half of 2025 seems the right time for the PCC to do this.
I am very aware that the roles of men and women in church leadership can be a sensitive issue. As a church family we are in a range of different places. Some of us have never really considered what the Bible says about this topic, others are not sure what to make of it, others in the church family and on the PCC hold a range of different views. As a leadership team and PCC, we are passionate about loving one another and maintaining our unity in Christ across the different views that we hold. The workshop will enable church family members and PCC members to look at God’s word together and discuss and understand each other’s convictions. This will then inform the PCC’s thinking as they review The House of Bishops’ Pastoral Provision later in the first half of 2025.
The PCC are also keen to take this opportunity to look beyond the question of the gender of our vicar and bishop, and consider the wider question of how we can ensure that both women and men are able to thrive and use their gifts in all kinds of ministry within our church family. The workshop will enable us to share positive and practical suggestions on how we can best do this.
My understanding of the Bible’s teaching on this topic
I mentioned above that the PCC’s decision in 2016 was taken on the grounds of theological conviction and in light of our understanding of the Bible. Preparing for this workshop has given me the opportunity to look again at my understanding of the Bible’s teaching on this topic.
Genesis 1:27-28 teaches that men and women are alike created in the image of God and entrusted together with the task of ruling his world. This establishes the absolute equality of women and men in value and dignity and rules out neglecting the gifts of either. In the New Testament we see men and women working together and both genders exercising significant
ministries in the churches (see for example Romans 16:1-16). I rejoice in how we see this at St Mary’s in the ministry of the staff team and also countless volunteers, female and male, serving together in a wide range of roles in our church.
In common with many other evangelical Christians, I believe that men and women, whilst created equal in God’s image, have been entrusted with different and complementary roles in the family and in the overall leadership of God’s spiritual family the church (see Ephesians 5:21-33 and 1 Timothy 2:1-15). In these settings Christian men are called to exercise sacrificial loving leadership. These complementary roles reflect something of the relationship that God has within himself, between the Father and the Son in the Trinity (1 Corinthians 11:2-3).
For these reasons I remain supportive of the provision passed by the PCC in 2016 which calls for the overall leadership of our church – the roles of vicar and bishop – to be exercised by godly qualified men. Beyond my convictions about the overall leadership of our church, I am equally passionate about ensuring that within our church both women and men are able to flourish in ministry as we serve God together in Sunday services, small groups, outreach, pastoral care, children’s and youth ministry, leadership and governance and more. This is an area in which we want to keep making progress.
What we will cover in the workshop
At the workshop on Saturday 18th January, we will have some time in small groups studying a number of the significant Bible passages on this topic of Men and Women Flourishing in Ministry. We will discuss how we understand these texts and how they apply to us at St Mary’s. I will explain more of my thinking which I’ve only been able to touch on very briefly here. We will discuss how we can maintain our unity in Christ across differences on this topic. Some of us will have considered this topic before, others will not have, so please do come with your questions. Then, after coffee, we will be joined by Nay Dawson, author of the recent book She Needs (She Needs – Nay Dawson). Nay will lead us in thinking through some of the relational and cultural aspects of ensuring that both women and men, in all our wonderful diversity, have the opportunity and the encouragement to develop and use our gifts to serve the Lord together in our church. This is a topic Nay has thought deeply about and I am delighted that she is able to join us for the workshop.
If you would like to be part of the workshop on the morning of Saturday 18th January please save the date and email office@stmarysmaidenhead.org so we have an idea of numbers.
As we consider this important and sensitive topic, please join me in praying that we will be guided by God’s word in all its fullness and that, across differences of understanding in this area, the Lord will enable us to love and honour one another, maintain our unity, and work together for his glory.